Baseball hitting aid

ABSTRACT

A baseball hitting aid is a device that includes a base plate and a rear pole that can be moved progressively forward to aid a batter in learning to shorten his swing and become a better hitter. The device can include a tee portion for practice or it can be used when the ball is pitched to the batter.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/752,608, filed Jan. 15, 2013, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to a practice device for baseball, and more particularly to a device to aid the user in avoiding a long batting swing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many baseball players, especially those just learning the game, tend to take very long swings and to swing very hard in an attempt to hit a pitched baseball. Many of these players are simply attempting to hit the ball as far as possible in the hope of hitting a home run. Others simply do not know a better way to swing and hit the ball successfully. Long swings tend to result in more strikeouts for the batter, as the time it takes to complete the swing often results in missing the ball, especially in the case of a pitch with high velocity or a lot of movement. Other results may include pop ups and fly balls that can also result in easy outs.

Good baseball hitters tend to have shorter, more compact swings. They are able to react quickly to a fastball and to movement of the pitch. These hitters are also able to contact the ball out in front of home plate, thereby hitting the ball before significant motion through the strike zone. These shorter swings can still result in significant power for the hitters, especially in the form of line drives that are more difficult for fielders to handle. Shorter swings do not come naturally for a lot of players.

Thus, there is a need for a device to help teach players to shorten their swings to achieve greater success in baseball hitting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides various exemplary embodiments, including devices that can be implemented as baseball hitting aids for practicing to shorten the batting swing.

These and other features and advantages of exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a base plate as used in the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the base plate as shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, a number of materials are identified as suitable for various facets of the implementations. These materials are to be treated as exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. A number of dimensions and sizes are identified as suitable for various facets of the implementations. These dimensions and sizes are to be treated as exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

The invention is designed to prevent casting and a long swing. Casting is where a hitter has his arms fully extended through the strike zone. This makes it difficult to catch up to a good fast ball and can result in situations where the hitter is jammed and has to hit the pitch close to his hands or off the handle of the bat. The present invention teaches hitters to lead with the knob of the bat and to keep their hands inside the ball, which creates a much shorter swing. The three holes in the base plate permits hitters to gradually shorten their swings.

As used herein, the terms “forward” or “front” of the disclosed device refers to the direction toward which a batter would attempt to hit the ball. The terms “rear”, “rearward”, or “behind” refer to the opposite direction, i.e., away from the direction toward which a batter would attempt to hit the ball.

Referring to FIG. 1, in one implementation, hitting device 100 according to the invention includes base plate 200, hitting tee portion 110, and rear pole 120. Tee portion 110 can be adjustable using telescoping extension 112 within outer sleeve 115. Tee portion 110 is adjustable to account for batters of different heights so as to accommodate children and adults. Tee portion 110 is generally adjustable between about 20 inches and 34 inches, although longer or shorter tee portions are within the scope of the present invention. Tee portion 110 is inserted into tee holder (described below) that can be formed as an integral part of base portion 200 or as a separate attachment.

Tee portion 110 is shown in FIG. 1 as being in the center of base plate 200. Tee portion could actually be located in a number of other positions to simulate pitches in different locations relative to the plate. For example, tee portion could be located at any of the front inside, rear inside, front outside, or rear outside corners, in addition to its shown center location. In that case, additional tee holders could be located at each such location.

Rear pole 120 is located behind base plate 200 and behind a batter using hitting device 100. As shown in FIG. 1, F refers to the front of the device and R refers to the rear of the device. R is located behind F. Rear pole 120 is shown implemented as a straight piece that extends vertically up from base plate 200. Rear pole 120 would generally be longer than tee portion 110 so as to keep batters of various heights from being able to swing over the top of rear pole 120. For example, rear pole 120 may be about 4 to 6 feet in length, although longer or shorter rear poles 120 are within the scope of the invention.

Base plate 200 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2. Base plate 200 could be implemented in a number of different shapes. The standard shape, however, would be that of home plate in baseball. The standard dimensions for home plate are as follows: the straight side that faces the pitcher is 17 inches in length, the parallel sides extend back from the straight side 8½ inches, and the rear portions extend back about 12 inches to a point. Annular tee holder 210 is located on the top surface of base plate 200. Tee portion 110 can be inserted into tee holder 210 to hold tee portion 110 in place during use. Annular tee holder 210 is of sufficient dimension to hold tee portion 110 in place by friction fit. As noted above, additional annular tee holders 210 could be located at other locations on base plate 200, such as at each corner. Tee holders 210 could be separate pieces or integrally formed with base plate 200.

At the rear of plate portion, extending backward from the rear point, is extension 220. Extension 200 could be a separately attachable piece or could be integrally formed with base plate 200. Extension 220 is of sufficient size and length to support one or more annular rear pole holders 230. Extension 220 is typically at least about 7 inches in length, but can extend up to 18 inches. Rear pole 120 can be inserted into rear pole holder 230 to hold rear pole 120 in place during use. Annular rear pole holder 230 is of sufficient dimension to hold rear pole 120 in place by friction fit. While base plate 200 is shown in FIGS. 1-2 as including 3 rear pole holders 230, the invention is not so limited. Rear pole holders 230 could be separately attachable pieces or could be integrally formed with extension 220. Base plate 200 can include a single rear pole holder 230 or 2, 4, 5, or even more rear pole holders 230. Rear pole holders 230 are typically about an inch and a half in diameter, although smaller and larger diameter holders that can hold smaller or larger rear poles can also be used. For example, rear pole holders 230 could be about ¾ inch to 2 inches in diameter. It is desirable to have the farther rear pole holder 230 to be only about 5 inches from the rear corner of base plate 200.

FIG. 3 shows the bottom side of an implementation of base plate 200. The bottom side is the side that when in use is facing the ground. The bottom surface of base plate 200 could be implemented in a number of different ways and include a number of different textures. FIG. 3 shows base plate 200 including a waffle or grid pattern to increase friction with the ground and keep base plate 200 in place during use.

The hitting device is typically formed of a hard rubber material, for example, by injection molding. During the process of learning to correct the swing and avoid casting, the batter will frequently hit the tee portion and the rear pole with the bat. The hard rubber material is durable to withstand numerous hits from bats made from aluminum, wood, or similar material.

In use, the batter would insert rear pole 120 into one of rear pole holders 230. The batter could also insert tee portion 110 into tee holder 210. The batter would stand to the side of the device on either the left or right (depending on whether the batter is left or right-handed) and attempt to hit a ball. A baseball (or softball) is placed on tee portion 110 and the batter must shorten his swing to hit the ball without hitting rear pole 120. Alternatively, instead of using tee portion 110, the ball could be pitched to the batter. He would still be required to shorten his swing to keep from hitting rear pole 120.

For beginning players or players who are used to taking longer swings or extending their arms through the strike zone, rear pole 120 could be placed in rear pole holder 230 that is farthest back away from tee portion 110, i.e., towards the rear of hitting device 100. As the player becomes more adept at shortening his swing, rear pole 120 could be moved progressively forward, closer to tee portion 110. In this way, the player learns to gradually shorten his swing. As noted above, this process could comprise 2, 3, or more steps.

A typically regimen for improving the batter's swing would be to monitor the swing progress after about 4 to 6 weeks where the batter has been taking 50-75 swings per day. If sufficient improvement in the swing is observed during that time, the rear pole could be moved to a position closer to the rear of the base plate. After another 4 to 6 weeks, the pole could be moved again, until the swing has reached a satisfactory level.

While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific exemplary implementations, it is evident to those skilled in the art that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, the invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope and spirit of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A baseball hitting device comprising: a base plate that includes a front portion and a rear portion; an extension extending away from the rear portion of the base plate; and a removable rear pole supported by the extension.
 2. The hitting device of claim 1, further comprising one or more rear pole holders attached to the extension for removably holding the rear pole.
 3. The hitting device of claim 1, further comprising a tee portion supported by the base plate.
 4. The hitting device of claim 3, further comprising a tee portion holder attached to the base plate for removably holding the tee portion.
 5. The hitting device of claim 3, wherein the tee portion has an adjustable height.
 6. The hitting device of claim 1, wherein the base plate is shaped like home plate.
 7. A baseball hitting device comprising: a base plate shaped like home plate and having an upper surface; an extension having an upper surface and extending away from the rear portion of the base plate; at least three annular rear pole holders attached to the upper surface of the extension; a rear pole removably mounted within one of the annular rear pole holders; an annular tee portion holder attached to the upper surface of the base plate; and a tee portion mounted within the annular tee portion holder, the tee portion including two sections that are in telescopic connection to permit adjustment of the height of the tee portion.
 8. The baseball hitting device of claim 7, further comprising additional annular tee portion holders attached to the upper surface of the base plate.
 9. The baseball hitting device of claim 8, comprising five annular tee portion holders, wherein one tee portion holder is located in the center of the base plate, and one tee portion holder is located at each corner of the base plate, respectively.
 10. The baseball hitting device of claim 7, wherein the rear pole holders are integrally formed with the base plate.
 11. The baseball hitting device of claim 7, wherein the tee portion holder is integrally formed with the base plate.
 12. The baseball hitting device of claim 7 formed of hard rubber. 